Empathy Through Literature

Empathy is a central theme that runs through the entire book. Dr. Bromfield highlights the importance and significance of empathy, understanding adolescents while balancing the need to challenge and push them. Empathy is an emotion, I value highly as a future humanistic counselor as I believe it can be a very potent tool in therapy. “ As to this day I am awed at empathic understanding’s near miraculous power to soften children’s and adults’ defensive resolve” (p48), he describes the miraculous power of empathy and how it can allow persons in therapy to uncover those other emotions that they may have suppressed quite well.

Empathy is the ability to share emotions and feelings with others. This skill requires people to look at things from another person’s point of view. Harper Lee implies in To Kill A Mockingbird that having the ability to feel empathy for others not only benefits others, but also can lead to personal gains in the long run. Empathy is demonstrated through the relationship of the characters of Scout with Walter Cunningham, Atticus with Tom Robinson and the children, and finally, Jem Finch with Mrs. Dubose.

Empathy can be defined as making a connection to someone during a situation. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, empathy is a main part in some of the characters’ lives. Without empathy, the novel would lack many components that make the main characters, Jem and Scout, who they are.

Empathy is critical component which simplifies the complicated life for students and shows the correct path for education. Without feeling other’s emotions, one cannot judge or help particular person. In education empathy plays an important role of understanding and getting the proper knowledge

When readers read a story written by an author they will usually think that the author likes to read books and is what led the author to writing a book. William Goldman said, “As a child, I had no Interest in reading” (Goldman 3), this can lead readers to imagining the author as a young child rather than an adult not wanting to read a book. When Readers imagine the author as a young child the image imagined can give a better sense of how the author felt as a young child. The imagination of a child giving the reader a picture to think about is less complex than that of a adult giving a reader a picture to think about.

In the article, “Nerd Alert: Reading is Good For Your Health” by Jen Christensen, I learned that reading literature can actually build empathy. This is important because, well, what good are we really without empathy? Without ever understanding where a person is coming from, how can we help them? You know that stereotypical, snooty, popular teenager who’s whining all the time and is just generally REALLY annoying on movies and TV shows? That’s what we’d be like without empathy.

“Empathy is about standing in someone else’s shoes, feeling with his or her heart, seeing with his or her eyes. Not only is empathy hard to outsource and automate, but it makes the world a better place.” Daniel H. Pink’s quote relates to Richard Connell’s fictional short story, “The Most Dangerous Game,” where the main character, Rainsford, learns to grow empathy to others situation and feelings. Connell uses this short story for readers to grasp a deeper concept besides just a fun read while connecting with Thomas C. Foster informative literature How to Read Literature Like a Professor; For Kids.

What is it about literature that makes people more empathetic? Empathy defined is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Similarly, the word compassion expresses the idea of expressing sympathy or concern for those who are suffering. Literature forms an empathetic compassion in the reader to comprehend others’ life challenges, and it sparks a drive in the reader to conquer their own trials.

Children’s literature has existed for as long as there have been stories to be told to children. Stories, books, songs, poems are all made for children. Children’s literature does not have a definite definition of what it is; basically, it is anything a child reads (Lerer, 2008). Children begin to learn what reading and writing are used for before even knowing how the system works. Children recognise the function of written language by seeing examples of written language that are being used around them. Many children know the difference between reading and talking, they are aware that written language is used to do things in this world (Emitt, Zbaracki, Komesaroff and Pollock, 2015). Quintilian, John Locke, Saint Augustine and Doctor Seuss speculated on the ways children learn the Australian language and learn about their lives from literature (Lerer, 2008). In fact, Lerer states that “the history of children’s literature is inseparable from the history of childhood, for the child was made through texts and tales he/she studied, heard and told back,” (2008, p.1). Children’s literature nurtures an understanding of narrative structures and visual images played in storytelling, this helps develop

I think having empathy is important because if you don't have empathy, you will not understand other's emotions. Without empathy you will have a hard time understanding others opinion. The author wants to tell that reading will improve you're empathy. I agree with that because before I started reading, I have a hard time understanding other's opinion or feeling but know I do great at understanding others. In the articlethere is a quote of Kidd saying "What great writers do is to turn you into the writer. In literacy fiction, the incompleteness of the characters turns your mind to trying to understand the minds of others," which supports my story of reading books helped me understand others. My biggest takeaway is from another quote by Kidd

It is beneficial to society as a whole to teach children empathy because it not only affects us interpersonally but it will also allow for positive interactions between humans and animals as well as with the planet as a whole.

Empathy is extraordinarily important for children to understand and eventually put into practice, as it exercises their ability to feel and respect the emotions of other people. Empathy also plays a big role in trust and support- both of which are very important aspects of any relationship, and is necessary for living a healthy, functional life in today’s society. In her article, Dovey describes “A 2011 study published in the Annual Review of Psychology […] showed that, when people read about an experience, they display stimulation within the same neurological regions as when they go through that experience themselves.” (Dovey par. 11). This means that when people, or in this case, children, read stories, their brains react as if they were going through the same situations and emotions that they read about. This is a great way for kids to learn about empathy, why it’s important, and how to apply it to their own lives. One may argue that, while reading may trigger empathetic feelings in the majority of people, those who enjoy reading have greater empathetic tendencies than others, making reading to teach empathy only applicable to those who like to read and have these higher-than-average tendencies. Dovey also addresses this, stating that “other studies published in 2006 and 2009 showed […] that people who read a lot of fiction [tended] to be better at empathizing with others (even after the researchers had accounted for the potential bias that people with greater empathetic

As Serafini and Moses suggest, when young children read literature, they learn how to adjust socially. A fitting analogy would be comparing literature to seeds planted in a garden by children early on in their lives, and allowed to germinate until ready to harvest. These seeds of literature later yield a copious harvest of empathy, tolerance, and acceptance toward others because reading various modes of literature exposes children to people, places, and life situations that they would not have experienced in real life. Such experiences also help young readers better understand their life

Be conscious, paint a picture with your story so they can see how much you care about your topic. Most people want their readers to sympathies with what the main character is going or has been through, but if you can get them to empathize they will do more than just start, they will finish reading your book. Anyone can feel sorry for what you've been through and wish you well, but when you empathize you do more than just feel sorry, you understand what the character went through. The fact is that when you empathize you have placed yourself in their shoes, their hurts become your hurts. Readers who empathize will want to know the whole story.

A children’s story is the first step a child is introduced to in terms of reading and literature. These books give children enjoyment, develops their feeling and imagination. And it might also help children resolve problems by creatively portraying the issue in the book and also by teaching how to deal with it in an entertaining way. For example in Franklin Fibs, Paulette Bourgeois innovatively explains how lying can be bad and how it can impact a child. This probably teaches the child moral values and also entertains them.