Abstract:
One purpose of this research paper is to peruse the field of children's poetry and to make a comparative study of how some major poets have undertaken the task of writing f or children. A by-product of the intensive study will be the identification of trends in writing as poets gained additional insight into the nature of children. The author has elected to give expression to her creative capabilities by writing some poetry for children. The research was conducted primarily to provide a springboard and an introductory background for the author's poetry, The research paper and creative project is designed to fulfill some other objectives: to develop an awareness of the mechanics of poetry and a skill in their use, to aid in the selection of appropriate vocabulary, and to facilitate the application of various rhythms to differing themes and moods.To be creative as well as to write about creativity is the basis for choosing this type of thesis. Paul Fenimore Cooper's definition of fancy summarizes the author's reason for selecting a topic pertaining to creativity:Fancy is to the imagination what the seed is to the tree. Let it lie in barren ground and it will not grow. But nourish it and care for it through the years and it will grow into imagination, as dear a possession for the man as fancy is for the child. He who lacks imagination lives but half a life. He has his experiences, he has his facts, he has his learning. But do any of these really live unless touched by the magic of the imagination? So long as the road is straight he can see down it and follow it. But imagination looks round the turns and gazes far off into the distance on either side. And it is imagination that walks hand in hand with vision.'
