The Impact of the Depiction of Children in Selected Swahili Children Stories

Abstract

This research paper interrogates the portrayal of the boy child and the girl child in selected Kiswahili Children‟s Stories with a view of investigating the likely impact of the manner in which this has been done. Children‟s Literature in Kiswahili is very rich. There are very many story books especially targeted at children. This paper will restrict itself to prose works in this area and investigate the manner in which the writers of the following children stories have portrayed the boy child and the girl child: Mwepesi wa Kusahau na Likizo ya Mkosi Whereas the authors have narrated on various issues surrounding children, this paper will focus on the manner in which children of both genders have been portrayed. Many authors have portrayed children of both genders in a balanced manner but some have tended to portray one gender exclusively in a negative light. These Paper opinions that this can have negative impact on the targeted readers This paper is anchored on the theory of sociology of literature with a view to using this approach to show how vulnerable members of society are affected by the way children are portrayed in children‟s literature. Children are easily swayed by what they read unlike adults who can evaluate issues effortlessly. The dangers that is inherent in children internalizing negative thinking is what has motivated this study