REPRESENTATION OF THE PHENOMENON OF CHILDHOOD IN THE «PEDAGOGICAL POEM» BY A. MAKARENKO

Abstract

The article analyzes the phenomenon of childhood in A. Makarenko's "Pedagogical Poem". The comparative-historical method was used, as well as the method of holistic analysis of the artwork. It is established that, firstly, the theme of childhood is represented through the motifs of loneliness, poverty, hunger, wandering. Secondly, ideas about the new ideal world created after the revolution, where everyone finds his place, embodies the image of the house-commune. The commune house becomes a kind of emblem of socialist realist culture and utopian type of consciousness. On the other hand, the fate of the lost house-nest and its inhabitants are considered by the writer at a historical turning point and symbolize the destruction of the usual way of life, way of life. The consequences of the loss of home are social and metaphysical orphanhood, hopelessness, characteristic of the homeless heroes, who in the process of upbringing find themselves and their place in the world.

Extended abstract:

This article aims to expand on the representation of childhood in A. Makarenko's "Pedagogical Poem." The comparative-historical method, as well as the method of holistic analysis of the artwork, are used to examine the peculiarity of the disclosure of children's themes in the domestic literature of the 1920-30s. The hypothesis of the study is that the approach to conceptualizing childhood underwent a sharp change during this period. While the metaphysical approach, which was typical of Russian classics and derived from Christian morality and ethics, saw childhood as a sinless and spiritualized state, urging even adults to learn a child's view of the world, in the "Pedagogical Poem," childhood is perceived only as an initial stage of personality formation and therefore the most convenient for inculcating models of behavior and perception that were beneficial to the young Soviet state. This leads to an emphasized ideological assignment, romanticized perception of collectivism, deliberate reduction of the importance of the family in the upbringing of the child, schematism in the portrayal of young heroes to the detriment of deep psychologism in the artistic study of the inner world of the child, which was a characteristic feature of Russian literature of earlier times. The article establishes that the theme of childhood is represented through motifs of loneliness, poverty, hunger, and wandering. Additionally, ideas about the new ideal world created after the revolution, where everyone finds their place, embody the image of the commune-house. The house-commune becomes a kind of emblem of socialist realist culture and utopian type of consciousness. On the other hand, the fate of the lost house-nest and its inhabitants is considered by the writer at a historical turning point and symbolizes the destruction of the usual way of life. The consequences of losing one's home are social and metaphysical orphanhood and hopelessness, which are characteristic features of homeless heroes who find themselves and their place in the world during the process of upbringing. The authors conclude that A. S. Makarenko responded to the demands of the time and realized the need to take social measures that would help not to lose a whole generation of children left homeless. He understood that the state, in the person of professional teachers and psychologists, and not indifferent members of the public, must necessarily offer homeless children an alternative to the family, which would protect these children from an antisocial path, instill certain values, and prepare them for normal adult life. In Makarenko's view, such a peculiar substitute for the family was labor colonies where children lived and worked at the same time.