Literature Affects Literature

Literature; it has compelled us, entertained us, educated us, and drove us to madness. It has served as life instruction, by using the characters as the lesson plan. It is sometimes blunt, sometimes ugly, and in Truman Capote’s case, is so gruesome that we do not dare forget it.

How has literature influenced humans in society? There are many different ways to answer that question. May it be it has caused society to be more intellectual and philosophical, or has it caused society to be more debating and problem finding? Many answers have developed over the years of about this.

Throughout history, literature has served as a prominent tool in the examination of social values, ideas, and dreams. In addition, literature has provided a vital connection between historical, social, and political events. Through the incorporation of religious principles and philosophies, writers have discovered a way to portray different time periods, characters, feelings, and most importantly God.

In Why Literature Matters Author Dana Gioia expresses and supports his opinion on why schools should support and teach arts and literature. Gioia shows the rapid decline in Americans not reading literature anymore, he shows the consequences you will face in the real world, like when you try to get a job. Gioia uses facts and statistics throughout the essay, as well as appealing to your patriotism.

In the article, “Why Literature Matters”, the author, Dana Gioia, states how reading is taking a turn downhill as young adults are not reading literature. Gioia addresses that in order to fix the issue, politicians and business communities need to try and fix the problems. Dana Gioia uses a series of logical appeals to show how the decrease in literature is affecting the society.

As a young girl, I remember my grandma used to read me a story every night before bed. Now that I’m older I find writing as an escape, a way to let my feelings out. However, in the persuasive essay, “Why Literature Matters” by Dana Gioia, it is brought to light that literature is a dying subject. The author informs the reader of this tragedy by providing a solid, well built argument, and backing it up with factual evidence.

Literature is a work of art that is constructed with the fundamental purpose of conveying meaning and messages to readers. Although the idea that is expressed is decided by the author, its underlying messages can be interpreted in various ways by different readers. Literature often explores the gap between reality and imagination. Such an examination can easily lead to a false sense of reality, which promotes the oversimplification of life at a great cost. By oversimplifying reality, people may turn a blind eye to issues that need to be addressed for the sake of social justice. Often times, facing reality is despised because it may create problems that individuals are unable to solve. This is important to note because literature has the

Literature has influenced society since its creation but history has also influenced literature since its creation. In America, literature started with the Native Indians with their oral stories passed down one generation at a time. The colonization of America from Europeans brought writing and new styles of literature. But as literature evolved the purpose for it never changed. People wrote literature in response to history to remember what they experienced and pass on how they grew from it.

Books have a great impact on many people. People learn about the world, and can be inspired by them. Schools encourage young kids to read lots of books to become more educated. Many people want books to glorify the world, and leave out the harsh realities that everyone will come face to face with. If books are written realistically with all the hardships that life contains, the readers can prepare for those challenges and accomplish more towards a greater society and fixing some of the problems. Books should portray the world as it is to prepare readers to face and understand issues of corruption and poverty, the pain of growing up from childhood, and the brutality of war.

Reading, whether it is a short story, newspaper, or novel, can affect the way the people view things. Reading has changed countless opinions and views of history and many other things around the world. Most people mature and develop better analytical skills from reading a wide variety of different literary pieces. “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, and “The Man He Killed” by Thomas Hardy are three pieces of literature that have significantly impacted me as a reader.

Fiction puts readers in the shoes of the characters and helps readers view the world in a different light. Fiction novels allow us to see the world from different perspectives. It sheds a new light and ideas for readers that can be used in their everyday lives. Giving readers perspective on certain situations and how to handle them. Readers are given a new idea on what can happen to the world if it continues to do something. For example, Fahrenheit 451 allows readers to see what could happen if they continue to excessively use technology and ignore what’s in front of them. Thus, making readers have a more open-mind towards certain situations and capable of seeing and understanding different opinions. What we learn from fiction novels can cause

Literature is an influential and integral part of modern day society. Each excerpt, short story and novel has the potential to shape us, instilling values and principles into each reader. Julius Caesar teaches us the dangers of excessive pride, The Giver tells us to embrace the human condition, and many other compositions reveal knowledge that we can apply to modern society and our daily lives. Still, every person reads specific pieces of literature to which they can truly connect. Mine are The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller.

To what extent does literature inspire us to develop a better world? The term “ a better world” does not have a generic or absolute definition. The vision of a ‘better world’ can be diverse depending on how an individual interprets this particular term. For instance, in Khaled Hosseini's novel, ‘The Kite Runner’, we can observe that our world could be a better place if people were more forgiving. In other words, our world will be better if we all prioritize the idea of living in harmony instead of promoting conflicts and confrontations. Similarly, eliminating social injustice and inequality in our society is also segway towards a better world. Likewise, in the essay ‘Where Are the People of Color in Children’s book’, Walter Dean Myers has

Indeed, the best works of literature are those which are of relevance to our lives today. Through their relevance, these novels continue to persist and endure on. Through their relevance, we can better comprehend the messages, the themes, and the ideas that are imbued in them. Rather than literature being contradictory and in conflict with the truth and unpleasant reality of daily life, it becomes a weapon through which we can be educated about the existential crises facing our world today. In fact, the statement above could not be more far and distant from the reality of literature today. It is fatally flawed. Literature, whilst at the surface, seems whimsical and amusing is, at its very core, a medium through which we are enlightened

Literature is an imitation of societal values and is thus a reflection of the human experience of a time period. Written works emphasize the elements of culture, by means of characters, particular events, setting and theme, specific to the time period in which it was composed. Furthermore, literature mirrors the troubles or hardships of society and projects the core values that define said society. Thus, as culture has changed over time, literature has remained a critical facet in representing time periods of the past. Essentially, the culture of a time period is manifested through writing in the projection of society’s values, symbolism of the center of community and literature itself.