Analysis of Turkish folk tales in the context of poverty

This master's thesis examines how the theme of poverty is handled in fairy tales collected in Turkey and the reflections of this theme on fairy tale characters, plots and messages. In this study, the place and importance of the theme of poverty in fairy tales is addressed in the context of socioeconomic, sociocultural, basic and manufactured needs. In the selected fairy tales, poverty; social class, solidarity, wealth, passive disobedience, needs, rebellion against the ruler etc. topics are examined under certain headings. Fairy tales are entertaining narratives that almost everyone enjoys listening to from early childhood to adulthood. Beyond being just entertaining, these narratives also provide a deep understanding of social structure and human relations, and help us understand the functioning of the social structure. Through the fairy tale, the hero of the fairy tale conveys the values of the society, the influence of social classes on each other, the sense of justice of the society and the individual, the relationships between individuals and social values. In this context, the study aims to analyze the theme of poverty in fairy tales collected in Turkey and the place and meaning of this theme in the life of the individual and society. The thesis analyzes the themes of poverty in fairy tales, passive disobedience, rebellion against the ruler, conflict, needs, determination, injustice, solidarity, social class, wealth, fate, and the relationship between these themes and poverty. Fairy tale narratives, which are accepted as cultural texts, are discussed in detail in this thesis together with the social structure and individual behaviors represented by their heroes. The fairy tales that are the subject of the study were obtained from postgraduate theses published in the National Thesis Center and fairy tale books. In the selection of fairy tales, fairy tales that directly or indirectly include the theme of poverty were preferred. The study, which presents the poverty in fairy tale texts from a comprehensive perspective, focused on content analysis. In addition, the study findings and the examination of the findings were carried out with support from the relevant literature. The findings obtained as a result of the study once again reveal that fairy tales are powerful tools that shape social values. Keywords: Poverty, Material Poverty, Deprivation, Social Injustice, Fairy Tale.