Peace and war themes in canonical poems included in literature anthologies for junior high schools in Israel

Purpose The purpose of this research was to study the manifestation of peace and war in the poems included in the new literature curriculum for the junior high school students in Israel. Design/methodology/approach Content analysis. Findings The results of the research, comprised by the content analysis methodology, showed that only three poems could be attributed to the category of war theme. Most of the poems fit to the category of didactic war motif; namely, they describe and refer to wars but are aimed at socializing the readers to peace by presenting them the vainness of wars. Research limitations/implications The brief review addresses only canonic poems and not popular songs. Practical implications The brief review will be directed to decision-makers in author’s country. Social implications Literary works have the ability to play a key role in peace education. Political behavior studies show that patterns of political behavior, such as support for a certain political party, tolerance of minorities and support for human rights are formed and internalized by the individual during childhood and adolescence. Originality/value This research produces a new and sophisticated approach towards the process of political socialization. This brief paper also conveys the new term of “didactic war theme”.